Bed construction



Feb. l2, 1963 H. HoPKEs, JR

BED CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 18, 1959 JNVENTOR. Henry #ap/f6.5; J4?? PNN.

Feb. 12, 1963 Filed Aug. 18, 1959 H. HOPKES, JR

BED CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NVENTOR. #67??? Ha/3:65', J2

3,976,979 BED 'CUNSERUCTIQN Henry Hopires, Jr., Zurich, Switzerland, assigner to No- Sag Spring Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of It/iiehigan Filed Aug. 18, 1959, Ser. No. 834,622 3 Claims. (Cl. 5-246) This invention relates to bed frames, and particularly to a metal frame made from extruded material.

In the copending application of Henry Hopkes, Jr., Serial No. 659,245, led May 15, 1957, now Patent No. 2,908,918, a metal bed frame is illustrated made from a strip of extruded material which had inwardly directed anges which support legs and spring strips between the sides and ends of the frame. Holes were provided in the lianges and the ends of the spring strips Were specially formed to have hooks disposed on the center line of the strips and secured in the apertures in the flanges for supporting the spring strips between the sides and ends of the frame.

The present invention embodies a bed frame similar to the one of the aforementioned copending application, the extruded section and the resulting frame of which embodies improvements over the section and frame of the earlier structure. In the present arrangement, the rib on the inner side of the frame is constructed to support tabs having apertures therein forming tunnels for receiving the ends of the spring strip. The strip is formed in the same manner as that of the aforementioned patent, the cross members which support the legs being applied to the corners and secured in position by welding. The end piece which forms one end of the frame, as Well as the cross braces which are employed intermediate the length of the frame between the sides thereof, are also secured by a welding operation. The tabs containing the tunnels are made from a low friction material to eliminate squeaks or noise which may be produced by the pivoting of the spring strip ends within the aperture. The spring strip ends are enclosed by the iiange which thereby prevents the bedclothes from being damaged when caught on a spring end.

Accordingly, the main objects of the invention are: to provide a frame for a bed made from extruded material having enlarged edges with a designed face therebetween formed into a rectangular shape; to provide enlarged top and bottom edges for an extruded bed frame strip having facing slots therein for the reception of an ornamental sheet of material which is supported thereby; to form a frame from an extruded sheet of material having a rib with an inwardly extending slot in which tabs containing an aperture are secured for supporting an end of a spring strip; to have a channel rib extending outwardly from the inner face of a frame strip and odset from the medial line of the strip so as to be closer to one edge than the other, and, in general, to provide a frame for a bed which is simple and rugged in construction and which provides its own ornamentation or support for an ornamental sheet at the side of the bed frame.

Other objects and features of novelty of the invention will be specifically pointed out or will become apparent when referring, for a better understanding of the invention, to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a bed frame embodying features of the present invention;

FiG. 2 is an enlarged, broken sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, taken along the line 2-2 thereof;

FIG. 3 is a view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2, with a frame inverted on the supporting legs;

.'iihh Patented Feb. 12, 1963 ice FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in FiG. 2, taken along the line 4-4 thereof;

FIG. 5 is a view of the structure illustrated in FIG. l, as viewed from line 5--5 thereof;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, taken along the line 6-6 thereof, and

FIG. 7 is a view of structure, similar to that illustrated in FIG. 2, showing a further form which the invention may assume.

The bed frame of the present invention is made from an extruded strip 11 having an outer ornamental face 12 and projected enlargements 13 at the opposite edges containing acing slots 14 forwardly of the face 12. A boxsection rib 15 is provided on the inner surface of the extrusion 11 offset toward one edge to have one inner face portion 16 of smaller depth than the other inner face portion 17. The box-section rib 1S has a pair of extending flanges 18 the ends of which extend inwardly toward each other forming a channel for the reception of tabs 19 which are adjustable therealong. The tabs are provided with an aperture 21 forming a tunnel for the reception of the end 22 of the wire spring strip 23 which extends across the frame. The endmost spring strips 23 are secured by coil springs 24 to clips 19A of reduced length to receive the end coil 25 thereof. The rib is cut from the corners 26 so as to permit the extruded strip i1 to be bent to provide the arcuate corners, with the side sections extending in parallel relation and joined together at the end by a section 27 of the strip 11 which is welded or otherwise secured to the side section ends. Corner plates 28 are Welded to the ribs to have the apertures 29 disposed therebetween for receiving the rivets 31 of the legs 32 which are secured in each corner of the frame. Bracing elements 33 span the central portion of the frame and are secured in position by being welded to the under face of the ribs 15. The braces are herein illustrated as being on the deeper side portion 17 of the frame .to have the shallower portion 16 extend upwardly for supporting a standard spring type mattress. When a foam rubber mattress or pad is to be supported, the braces 33 are secured to the opposite side of the rib 1S which is the Linder side when the deeper portion 17 presents upwardly for the reception of the foam rubber mattress or pad.

The tabs are retained in predetermined spaced relation to each other by the wire connecting links 35 which are provided between the spring strips 23 from one to the other end of the frame. Tension is applied to the endmost spring strips 23 by the coil springs 24 so that the entire spring supporting surface operates as a unit. By securing the corner plates 28 and braces 33 on one or the other side of the ribs 15, the faces 16 or 17 of less or greater depth present upwardly from the ribs for the reception of a spring or foam rubber mattress, respectively. The spring strips 23 fill the space between the ribs and the edges of the ribs prevent the ends of the spring from being exposed and engaging and tearing the bedclothes.

A pleasing appearance is provided to the sides of the bed frame by the ornamental face 12, as is apparent from FIG. 5 of the drawing. Especially is this true if the extrusion is made of aluminum and anodized in gold, silver or other color. As is evident from FIG. 7, a separate panel 36 may cover the face 12 when secured in position by the slots 14 in the extending portion 13 at opposite edges of the strip. A black or white panel supported between gold anodized edge portions 13 would be extremely attractive. The panel 36 is preferably slid into place before the final bending is undertaken to form the rectangular frame for the bed.

What is claimed is:

1. A spring supporting frame having an inwardly presenting channel portion containing aligned anges at the open side forming Va slot, and T-shaped tabs disposed within the channel portion with one branch of the tabs containing an aperture, each said `aperture-containing branch extending from the channel to Within the slot for receiving the end of a spring strip, said tab supporting said spring end against movement longitudinally and transversely of said channel portion when tension is applied thereto by said Vspring strip. 2. In a frame for supporting spring strips, said frame having an inwardly extending rib containing a channel formed of spaced sides from which aligned flanges extend inwardly toward each other to form a slot, and Aslidable tabs, each tab having a portion extending into the slot from the other portion within the channel, said extending tab portion having an aperture disposed parallel to the slot for receiving a spring strip end, the spring strip when so Vsupported tensioning the tab and securing it in the channel against movement,

y3. A .frame made of an extrusion having a Wide face portion containing a rib on the inner side offset from the edges thereof, said frame being formed in the shape of a rectangle and said rib having an inwardly facing chan nel section partially closed by aligned iianges forming a slot, and tabs in said channel section, each tab having a portion extending into the slot, each said portion having an aperture for receiving the end of a spring strip, said tab supporting -said spring strip end against movement longitudinally and transversely of the frame when tension is applied to the tab by said spring strip.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS ,Hopkes Oct. 20, 

1. A SPRING SUPPORTING FRAME HAVING AN INWARDLY PRESENTING CHANNEL PORTION CONTAINING ALIGNED FLANGES AT THE OPEN SIDE FORMING A SLOT, AND T-SHAPED TABS DISPOSED WITHIN THE CHANNEL PORTION WITH ONE BRANCH OF THE TABS CONTAINING AN APERTURE, EACH SAID APERTURE-CONTAINING BRANCH EXTENDING FROM THE CHANNEL TO WITHIN THE SLOT FOR RECEIVING THE END OF A SPRING STRIP, SAID TAB SUPPORTING SAID SPRING END AGAINST MOVEMENT LONGITUDINALLY AND TRANSVERSELY OF SAID CHANNEL PORTION WHEN TENSION IS APPLIED THERETO BY SAID SPRING STRIP. 